Upper West Side Nursery and Boy's Room

Each time a family grows in size, an inevitable period of space shifting occurs. It's a wonderful time to reassess how your rooms are functioning, to declutter, and to maximize every square inch of your home. The Haller family had a very creative space shifting plan to make room for their second baby, and they asked Bob and Cortney to help out with the design.

The Hallers were lucky enough to have a spare room to use for the nursery, but with the baby due to arrive in under a month, the room was still functioning as "a garage". Their plan was to clear out the space and create a combination nursery/guest room. They asked Bob and Cortney to make it not too babyish so that as soon as the little one was ready, he could move from the crib into his big brother's room next door.

Is it odd to have kids share a room while another room sits next to it as an unoccupied guest room? No way! I think it's an awesome idea. Never have I heard of parents putting little kids in a shared room, and then having to move them apart because it just didn't work. And some of my happiest memories are of the bedroom I shared with my older sister as I was growing up. We learned to share, to respect each other's space, and she even made me feel safe at night by taping bells over my window to scare away the zombies that she warned me would rise in the night from the graveyard our house was secretly built on.

Have a look at the photos and see how it came together. Cortney used 3 vintage wallpapers on the nursery ceiling, and alongside the modern crib they included a bed that folds out to a double for overnight guests. The gray armchair with contrast piping in the corner will work great for late night feedings but, unlike a nursery glider, will transition well to a regular adult armchair. Because it is one.

In the other room, big brother, Griffin, got a new bunk bed that's ready and waiting for a future bunkmate. Cortney chose a bold royal blue paint color with one wall of animal (with skeletons!) wallpaper. The cool Lego lamp was custom made by Sean Kenney, and the teepee will be a great secret hideout when needed, but hopefully their West Side apartment wasn't built on a graveyard.